American Idol Season 5

Im addicted to this show and am wondering how I will spend my Tuesdays and Wednesdays from now on till January when the next instalment will come around. The success of the show is predicated on a few things-
a) Its the story of ordinary talented people trying to make it big
b) Voting gives the viewers control over who they want as their next Idol- that generates following and competition
c) Simon Cowell is acerbic, almost brutal and almost always right in his assessments.

And this season was quite a roller coaster. The initial favorites seemed to be Paris and Lisa Tucker, then Chris, the rocker emerged as the strong contender only to be booted out of the top 3. The eventual winner- a prematurely greying 29 year old southerner with a Joe Cocker type vibe- was for me a surprise. He has a terrific voice, a strange mannerism and is a great story- was a singer at weddings trying to make ends meet before the show happened.

My personal favorite was Katherine Mcphee, the runner up. She has a pure voice, great looks and if she just sticks to "Somewhere Over the rainbow" type songs, she will sell millions of albums. She was so erratic throughout the show- from the brilliant to the very ordinary, it was difficult for her to win eventually. Her choice of songs left a lot to be desired.

As for the Finale, I was blown away by the artists who performed, from Dione Warwick to Prince, it was a cast par excellence.
This show is clearly here to stay and it only gets better with time.
Kudos!